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Graduations evoke feelings of accomplishment
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MICHAEL HINMAN/STAFF PHOTOS
Laura Vinogradov has expanded her pet care service, The Barking Lot, to the cyberverse with a new app she says will simplify the lives of even the most complicated pets.
Pet care takes a village, and new app can help By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
Laura Vinogradov stumbled upon Lutz six years ago during a statewide search for her dog care business,The Barking Lot. She wanted a place with a country feel, but still close enough to civilization. But more importantly,Vinogradov wanted somewhere she could call home. Lutz has fit all those requirements perfectly, and Vinogradov is happy with the success of her business, which employs six
To get the app for the iPhone, visit tinyurl.com/TaskIt-App
people literally in her backyard. She’s proud of the fact that she’ll take any breed of dog, thanks to an innovative system that keeps unfamiliar animals separate from each other. And even more, she’s happy that she’s finally focusing on a career doing something she See APP, page 29
PCPT grows up, but privatization on table By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
After 42 years of service, Pasco County Public Transportation has finally graduated to its own department. Pasco County commissioners last week voted to move PCPT from its division status with the county’s Community Services Department to its own department. Transportation manager Michael Carroll will stay in charge, albeit with a new title. The move was warranted now that PCPT is now a $6.4 million department that employs 72 people, according to county administrator Michele Baker.The transition will not cost the county any money since Carroll’s salary will remain the same. See PCPT, page 29
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The public transit department in Pasco County is finally becoming its own department, but could privatization be on its way?
It’s that time of year again, when young men and women dress in caps and gowns and march into their futures. In many ways, it’s a rite of passage that doesn’t change much from year to year. There’ll be music, speeches, and of course, the reading of the graduates’ names. Hundreds of diplomas will be conferred at some ceremonies, while others will have fewer than 10. The events will be held in places as varied as W.F. Edwards Stadium to the First Baptist Church sanctuary, and from the Florida State Fairgrounds to the University of South Florida Sun Dome. Whether it’s Freedom, Steinbrenner, Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, Pasco, Zephyrhills,Wesley Chapel or Wiregrass Ranch high schools, or Academy at the Lakes, Bishop McLaughlin, Land O’ Lakes Christian or Zephyrhills Christian Academy — these ceremonies have special meaning to the graduates, their families and friends, and their teachers and administrators. Commencement exercises tend to have a familiar feel, but each class is unique. The Class of 2014 is filled with members of a generation when Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and Obamacare became household words. They carry smartphones, which they use to text — not talk — to their friends and to snap selfies in every conceivable place. They’ve been witnesses to history: The beginning of a new millennium, the election of the nation’s first African-American president, the legalization of same-sex marriages in some places, and the legal sale of marijuana in others. They’ve seen increasing conflicts abroad, rising concerns about cybersecurity and the effects that the recession has had on their family’s personal wealth. But none of this is likely to be on their minds, as they march to the sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance.” As they wrap up their high school academic career, some are planning careers in medicine, finance, pharmacy or aerospace engineering. Others aren’t sure of what path they’ll pursue, and some will wind up in careers that have not even yet been invented. Some plan to attend exclusive colleges in faraway places, while others will attend classes closer to home at the University of South Florida, Pasco-Hernando State College, Hillsborough Community College, Saint Leo University, Rasmussen College and other local institutions. For students living in Wesley Chapel, this will be the first graduating class to have the option of remaining in their community to attend college classes. Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a satellite of PHSC, opened in January. For now, though, it’s time to savor the moment, for graduates to pose for photographs with friends and families, and to enjoy celebrations, before finding a path to call their own.
Check out our complete Class of 2014 special graduation insert, beginning on page 13.